Fayetteville (WSYR-TV) -- Have you ever bought something and found it later at a competing store at a better price? What about a better price at the same store, just in a different location? That’s exactly what happened to one local shopper who wants to know the Real Deal.
A NewsChannel 9 viewer was surprised to find this type of pricing. She says she visited the Target store in Fayetteville to find winter boots for 70 percent off. Two days later she went to the Clay Target and found the same exact boots at 30 percent off. Why the difference she asked? Other Central New Yorkers are wondering too.
“I'm really surprised. I thought it'd be across the board, price from one Target to another,” shopper Beth Shanley said.
Not so. In fact, Target says its prices can vary not only from store-to-store, but compared with Target.com too.
“Target's goal is to be competitively priced in each trade area, and each trade area with more than one Target store it's possible that Target's prices on selected items may vary from one Target to the next,” Target Spokesperson Antoine LaFrombroise said. “Competitive pricing is based on the retail environment for each individual community and can vary between Target stores.”
Target says it’s a common practice for retailers, but that doesn’t mean customers are happy about it.
“I feel like big corporations can take advantage of different areas and different markets. They know people like us aren't going to drive 40 minutes to another Target to save five dollars on something,” shopper Kayla Richmond said.
Target won’t price adjust store to store, but it will adjust the price of a product if it’s advertised in a circular at a lower price either the same week of a purchase or the week following a purchase. Target will also price-match its competitors.
Even though Target doesn’t price match store-to-store, Target says you can return the product at the store where you found it cheaper and then buy it back at the better value.
We tried to contact Walmart and Kmart about their price policies. Neither returned our calls.
